Feasibility study for new Bulawayo US$100m water supply dam project

BULAWAYO City Council (BCC), which has hinted on plans to construct a US$100 million water supply dam at Glass Block in Insiza District in Matabeleland South as part of its short-to-medium-term solution to address the perennial water crisis, is seeking a comprehensive feasibility study report and clarity on the unit cost of water.

The local authority said lack of clarity on the unit cost of water raises legal and financial implications, adding that it is essential to avoid entering agreements with incomplete information.

Glass Block Dam is a proposed reservoir on the Umzingwane River with a capacity of 14 million cubic metres. The construction works of the Glass Block Dam, which includes a 41km pipeline connecting to the Lower Ncema Dam, would take 30 months to complete.

In a recent interview, the chairperson of the City’s Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee, Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, said the short-to-medium term plans entail the construction of the Glass Block Dam, and expanding the Inyankuni booster pump station by increasing the pipeline’s carrying capacity from 17 megalitres per day to about 25 mega litres.

According to the latest council report, the director of engineering services, Engineer Sikhumbuzo Ncube, noted that the suggestion to procure water from Glass Block Dam had raised apprehensions due to a lack of information on the unit cost of water.

“This was a crucial consideration guided by the principles of transparency and financial responsibility. It was widely acknowledged that the city holds the responsibility to guarantee that charges associated with water supply were reasonable and align with the actual cost of delivering the water service,” said Eng Ncube.

He said the aim was not to reject the project outright but to ensure that due diligence was exercised in assessing the potential implications and adherence to existing legal frameworks.

“Upholding transparency in financial matters was essential for prudent decision-making. Considering the legal mandates outlined in the Water Act, it was paramount for the City of Bulawayo to act in accordance with established principles.

“The lack of clarity on the unit cost of water raises legal and financial implications, and it was essential to avoid entering agreements with incomplete information.”

Eng Ncube added that the Glass Block Dam, classified as a medium to large dam, necessitates the consent of the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, as stipulated by SI 206 of the Water Act. This regulation outlines the procedural requirements for dam construction

The local authority has since resolved that the City of Bulawayo formally requests a comprehensive feasibility study report before entertaining the proposal to buy water from Glass Block Dam, in adherence to the legal frameworks and to ensure a thorough understanding of the financial implications.

“That this feasibility study should specifically address the unit cost of water, considering construction costs, maintenance expenses, and operational expenditures, as mandated by the Water Act,” read the minutes.

Private investors have proposed to construct the dam as an alternative water source, adding to the city’s six supply dams-Inyankuni, Mtshabezi, Insiza, Lower Ncema, Umzingwane, and Upper Ncema.

Insiza Dam was the last to be constructed in 1975 just a year after the construction of the Upper Ncema Dam.

Inyankuni, the city’s largest dam with a carrying capacity of 80 million cubic metres, was constructed in 1965. Umzingwane was built in 1956 with Lower Ncema the city’s oldest dam having been constructed in 1943.

Bulawayo residents continue to endure prolonged water cuts, sometimes more than a week in some suburbs at a time when some parts of the country are experiencing an outbreak of cholera and diarrhoea.

The situation is worsened by the vandalism of transformers and boreholes at Epping Forest and Nyamandlovu, which reduced the pumping capacity from 20ML to 4ML a day.

This has affected 60 000 residents who rely on water from the aquifer.

President Mnangagwa has already set up a 20-member Bulawayo Water Technical Committee whose task is to oversee the rapid improvement of water and sanitation services in the city over a 100-day period.